Visual Storytelling

Visual storytelling - David Wiesner

Storytelling is an art that can be done through movement, sound, talking, writing or pictures. There is so much information that can be communicated with pictures that using images to tell a story can be a powerful approach.The idea of visual storytelling has been around for thousands and thousands of years. Examples of this narrative art have survived from ancient Greece, Egypt, as well as Medieval Europe. When the majority of the worlds population was illiterate, stories and happenings were told with pictures. Cave paintings depicted tales of prehistoric man’shunting adventures. Many churches have stained glass windows showing biblical stories which taught people about religion. Many Greek vases illustrate scenes from the culture. Today, visual storytelling is also commonly found in children’s picture books where little or no text accompany the illustrations.

David Wiesner is a children’s book author and illustrator who has perfected the art of visual storytelling. He was born in New Jersey on the 5th of February, 1956. His interest in art started early in his life and he began to draw very early on. As a child he found inspiration for his art just about everywhere. He had four siblings who encouraged his artistic pursuits, he loved comic books and faithfully watched a television art show every Saturday, which helped him learn how to draw. In high school he became known as “the kid who can draw”. He continued to explore art in college and graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration.

He has written and illustrated numerous children’s books, three of which were awarded the Caldecott Medal, one of the highest honors an illustrator can receive. David Wiesner’s books, which generally take several years to create, expertly illustrate wildly imaginative stories in a surreal style. His tales capture funny and fantastic worlds which are inspiring to visit and explore.

Creating a visual story takes some planning and thought before the drawing can begin. The first step is coming up with an idea or story that is going to be communicated. Most artists then create a story board which explains the picture actions using words. Once the layout and images have been planned the drawing can begin! Because the drawings alone tell the story, it is important to emphasize facial expressions, body language and background information.

questions:

Look at one of the David Wiesner books available [Flotsam, Art and Max, and Tuesday] as a group. Have each student take a turn describing what he/she sees happening on that page. Talk about how each image takes many sentences to be summarized.

-Select only one of the images from the David Wiesner books and have the students share what they see. Talk about the realistic style used to portray the fantastic imagery. Use of scale/proportion, color, depth/perspective are all great elements to prompt constructive discussion.

-Discuss the idea of ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’

- Share David's "OOPS" story from his website which you can find here: http://www.davidwiesner.com/work/oops/ Discuss his story and ask the kids about their own Oops.

activities:

Give each student two copies of the supplied story boards (in the binders). Have them start by creating a simple story using only words. Next, have the students fill in each of the frames with drawings that correspond to the story they wrote. Emphasize the importance of facial expressions, body language, and background information.

- After reading and discussing "Tuesday" with the kids, pass out the 2-page activity sheets (see files below to download) and have the kids write a frame-by-frame sequel to the story (there are 3 frames in all). At the top of the sheet it says "Next Tuesday, 7:58pm", and it shows pigs flying in the sky. This is where the actual book leaves off. Have the kids draw in each frame what they think will happen when the pigs are flying around in the night sky. Leave enough time for the kids to complete the activity and share. If I had to do this lesson again, I would read only "Tuesday" with the kids and maybe just highlight the other David Wiesner book. This way, the kids then have enough time to let their imaginations take off and finish this activity....very fun!

-Give each student a situation to interpret through one [or a series of] drawing.Try to come up with ideas that could encourage a drawing with narrative qualities. Examples could include:

• The craziest dream I ever had was...
• The happiest moment in my life was when...
• If I lived in a shoe it would look like...

-Have the students work in small groups to create a collaborative visual story. Have each student create either a beginning, middle, or end, then draw the ideas. Be sure to emphasize the importance of keeping the stories simple!

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